NTV
03 June 2013
A former Roman Catholic priest from Stephenville pleaded not guilty Monday to new sexual assault charges more than two decades after he was jailed for a similar crime.
Gary Gerard Hoskins, 55, did not appear in person at provincial court but he pleaded not guilty through his lawyer of sexually assaulting a young boy in Stephenville more than 20 years ago. Hoskins is a former parish priest at St. Stephen’s Parish.
In 1987, he was sentenced to three months in prison and two years’ probation after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy in 1985. Now, police have filed new charges accusing Hoskins of two counts of sexual assault against another young boy in Stephenville between 1984 and 1986.
NTV News has learned the victim of that incident was one of 13 young boys sexually molested by another priest from that area, Fr. George Ansel Smith, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison earlier this year. It’s not known if the incidents are connected, but court records indicate both charges date back to the same approximate time period.
Hoskins left the priesthood in 1995. Court records show he now lives in Mississauga, Ont. In 1987, he pleaded guilty to the sex charges against him, but today he elected to be tried by judge and jury in relation to the new charges. A preliminary inquiry will be scheduled to determine if there’s enough evidence to send the matter to trial.
So the complainant against Gary Hoskins was sexually abused by Father George Smith!
I’ve been doing a lot of searching to get what info I can on Hoskins – it’s proving very productive.